- U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS) shake hands during a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Riyadh – U.S. President Donald Trump signed a strategic economic agreement with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as the oil power rolled out the red carpet for him at the start of a tour of Gulf states aimed at drumming up trillions of dollars in investments.
This agreement includes deals in energy, mining, and defense, with a significant focus on a $142 billion defense sales agreement providing Saudi Arabia with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment”. Additionally, Saudi Arabia committed to investing $600 billion in the U.S., including the $142 billion defense deal.
- “We like each other a lot,” Trump says during talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
- The two leaders have also met a long list of major US business executives who are also in Riyadh for a Saudi-US investment forum.
- After Saudi Arabia, Trump is due to visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
- The extent of the many agreements reached between the US and Saudi Arabia “speaks to the depth” of their relationship, says Abdulaziz Alghashian, director of research at the Riyadh-based Observer Research Foundation Middle East.
- “Saudi Arabia still sees the US as their main security partner and trading partner,” Alghashian told Al Jazeera.
REUTERS/ NEWS AGENCIES